Ventricular assist devices, known as VADs, are implantable blood pumps used for both short-term and long-term applications where a patient's heart is incapable of providing adequate circulation. For example, a patient suffering from heart failure may use a VAD while awaiting a heart transplant. In another example, a patient may use a VAD while recovering from heart surgery. Thus, a VAD can supplement a weak heart or can effectively replace the natural heart's function. VADs can be implanted in the patient's body and powered by an electrical power source inside or outside the patient's body.
Some implantable blood pumps employ rotor designs where the rotor needs to be released from magnetic attraction before the rotor can be activated by a motor. For such starting algorithms of a rotor in an implantable blood pump, significant currents are required that require heavyweight, expensive, and/or bulky power supplies.